Sewer flusher



A. STAFFORD SEWER FLUSHER May 15, 1923.

Filed May 10 vlllllllllll/flllfzllllfl A T TOPNE Y Pamela's r s, was.

ARCHIBALD STAFFORD, OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

SEWER FLUSHER.

.AppIication filed m 10, 1922. Serial No. 559,746.

'1. all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ARoHIBALn STAFFORD,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Sacramento, in the county ofSacramento and State of California, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Sewer Flushers, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a flushing device, and particularly pertainstomeansfor flushing the sewer connection of sinks and'the like. 7 1 Itis the principal obj eot of the present invention to provide meansembodied within the trap connection of a sink, and by which theconnection maybe cleared. and flushed when it becomes clogged withgrease, dirt, and other foreign substances.

The present invention contemplates the use of a suction member normallydepending within the sewer connection and adapted to be manuallyoperated when desired to produce a suction and pressure action withinthe pipe to clear it offoreign materials.

The invention is illustrated by way of ex ample in the accompanyingdrawings, in which: i

Fig. 1 is a view in vertical section through a sink and its sewerconnection showing the application of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view in plan showing the sinkstrainer, which is utilized as a handle for the device.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical section showing theplunger and valve mechanism of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a view in transverse section through the device as seen on theline a4.

of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view in transverse section through the device as seen online 5-5 of Fig. 1, and illustrating the position of the valve memberswhen they are closed.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 10 indicates a sink which ishere shown as fitted with the usual connecting pipe 11. and a trap 12.The pipe 11 telescopes within a boss cast in the bottom of the sink, andis held in position by a packing gland 13. The

lower end of the pipe 11 receives the upper end of the trap section 12,which member projects thereinto. By reference to Fig. 1 is will be notedthat the pipe 11 is of considerably larger diameter than the trap 12,thus providing a cylinder within which a piston member 14 mayreciprocate. This member comprises an annular split ring 15 pivotallysecured to the forked end 16 of a plunger rod 17. This rod extendslongitudinally of the pipe and upwardly therethrough.

The upper end of this rod is fitted with a pair'of semi-circularstrainers 18, which are hinged together, and when folded down, form aclosure for the drain opening 19 of the sink. The strainers may befolded upwardly, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, to provide ahand grasp for operating the plunger rod. The split piston ring 15carries'a pair of semi-circular flapper valves 20. These membersnormally hang down, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and thus permit thecontents of the sink to readily pass through the piston and out throughthe track.

In operation of the present invention, the sink is used in a normalmanner until the trap becomes clogged, at which time the strainermembers 18 may be folded upwardly and grasped, to be used Whilereciprocating the plunger 14-. At the same time it is desirable to fillthe pipe 11 with water or other solution. As'the plunger is lifted thevalve members 20 will hang downwardly, permitting it to readily passthrough the water. lVhen the top of the pipe 11 has been reached, theplunger may then be forced downwardly. This will act to swing the valvemembers 20 outwardly and close the plunger. Thus the complete force ofdownward pressure will be exerted against the water, and this in turnwill act as a ram to clear the pipe.

Attention is directed to the fact that a stop member 21 is disposedbetween the downwardly hanging valves 20 to prevent them from swingingtogether and to support them in a manner to insure that they will swingupwardly when downward pressure is exerted upon the plunger.

It will thus be seen that the device here disclosed may be readilyinstalled in a sink structure and may be instantly utilized to clear thesewer connections by. exerting a positive action upon a cleaning liquidwithin the pipes.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invent-ion, as now known tome, it will be understood that various changes might be made in thecombination, construction and arrangement of parts, without departingfrom the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In combination with a sink and a se'wer pipe connection therefor, ofa cylinder connected at ts ends to the drain opening or the sink andsaid pipe and interposed be-i tween the same, an expansible split ringslidably disposed in said cylinder, a plunger rod extendinglongitudinally within said cylinder the lower end of said rod beingforked and connected to said ring in a manner to permit expansionthereof, a strainer member comprising two complementary perforated partshingedl y connected at their meeting edges to the upper end of theplunger rod wherebythey may serve as a strainer for the drainopening ofthe sink or as ahandle for said rod, a pair of hinged semi-circular flapvalves carried by said ring at the under side thereof, said valves beingclosa-ble upwardly when the 20 ring is forced down and stop memberscarring, and closable upwardly when-the ex pansible ring is forced down,and a central downwardly divergent stop to retain the valves at aninclinationwhen open, to insure closing, by fi'uid pressure when thepiston ring; is forced down.

AROHIBALD STAFFORD. T

